Traditional pins for dragline rigging and other earth moving equipment has had a service life of three to four weeks. Likewise bearing mounted shafts which are susceptible to high-wear environments have had very short service life. Conventionally the steel products have been made from alloy steel of a uniform chemistry, with the outer surface of the product being hardened by conventional heating and quenching techniques, such that a hardened outer shell was formed about a tough inner core. As noted hereinabove, this conventional technology suffers severe service life constraints and leaves a great deal to be desired in that regard.